Water is a basic necessity to sustain all life. Every living thing on the planet, animal and plant, needs water to survive. As such, the need for clean, pure water will never decrease. In fact, as populations grow, the need for clean, pure water will only increase. Recently, society has begun to focus more on the purity of water for both drinking and other applications. Pure water is bottled by a multitude of manufacturers and is sold in many places. Demand for pure bottled water is increasing and shows no signs of waning.
The medical community in the United States periodically issues statements that indicate the average person does not drink enough water. Unlike soda, milk, and other beverages, water is available to most people simply by turning on a faucet. Water is provided by the local utility companies who are generally responsible for ensuring that the water provided to homes and businesses is clean, pure, and free from harmful organisms. Indeed, many people rely solely on the public water systems to guarantee that the water flowing into their homes and businesses is fit for consumption. Typically, the municipal body responsible for providing water to the populace will have various treatment and purification procedures to help ensure the quality of the water provided to consumers. These systems can include large, industrial scale filters, treatment tanks, and other water processing devices. Unfortunately, sometimes these systems can break down, or these systems can miss a contaminant leaving the treated water with various forms of impurities.
Since water is such a vital part of people's everyday needs, the desire for clean, pure water continues to grow. Most municipal treatment facilities do an adequate job in cleaning and purifying water, however, there is concern that the municipal systems responsible for providing clean, pure water are simply overworked. Filtration of water on such a large scale can sometimes lead to water that contains particulate filtrate material left over from where the water was originally filtered. Moreover, some of the treatment methods and additive chemicals used in the cleaning and purifying of water can leave the water containing undesirable contaminants.
Municipal water treatment systems typically focus on removing various contaminants from water in order to provide clean, potable water for human consumption. Large scale purification of water is designed to reduce or eliminate the concentration of particulate matter including suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, and fungi. Also, the municipal treatment facilities have apparatuses and methods to remove a wide range of dissolved and particulate material picked up by water from the surfaces the water may have made contact with after falling as rain and flowing to the treatment facility.
In the United States, the standards for drinking water quality are typically set by the government and have certain thresholds designed to ensure the drinking water is safe for consumption. In other countries around the world, however, the standards and thresholds for certain contaminants are not as stringent. Thus the warning of “don't drink the water,” in various places around the world.
According to a 2007 World Health Organization report, 1.1 billion people lack access to an improved drinking water supply. The WHO estimates that 88% of the 4 billion annual cases of diarrheal disease are attributed to unsafe water and inadequate sanitation and hygiene. Further, 1.8 million people die from diarrheal diseases each year. The WHO further estimates that 94% of these diarrheal cases are preventable through modifications to the environment, including access to safe water. The WHO concludes that a few simple techniques for treating water at home, such as chlorination, filters, and solar disinfection, combined with storing it in safe containers could save a huge number of lives each year.
In most cases, it is not possible to tell whether water is of an appropriate quality by visual examination. If water has a cloudy appearance or there are visible particles present, then the water is most likely unsafe to drink. However, many dangerous contaminants are simply too small to be visible to the naked eye. It is impossible to know that the water is clean, pure, and fit to drink simply by looking at it. Thus, some simple procedures such as boiling or the use of a household activated carbon filter have been devised in an attempt to clean and purify water for drinking. Unfortunately, these simple steps are not sufficient for treating all the possible contaminants that may be present in water from an unknown source. Even natural spring water, which in the nineteenth century was considered safe for all practical purposes, must now be tested before determining what kind of treatment, if any, is needed. A chemical analysis of water, while expensive, is the only way to obtain the information necessary for deciding on the appropriate method of purification.
Thus, a need exists for a simple, easy to use filter that will ensure that water is clean, pure, and does not contain harmful contaminants. More specifically, a need exists for a filter capable of residential use or small commercial use that will allow persons to be assured that any contaminants left in water after the municipal treatment of the water are removed prior to drinking. More particularly, there are growing desires from home owners for a water filter for use in residences that will provide clean, purified water to the homeowner.
Currently, there are three principle types of water filtration systems commonly found in residential homes. These water filters are typically installed in the kitchen. These filters consist of undercounter systems, countertop systems, and faucet mount systems. Undercounter or undersink systems are located underneath the kitchen counter or kitchen sink and typically have a separate faucet from the main sink faucet. The separate faucet is mounted adjacent to the sink, allowing unrestricted access to the sink. However, this location interferes with the use of the counter and can block access to valuable counter space. Undercounter filters have good flow rates and filtration performance, but a person must undergo a difficult process to replace the filters. Often the difficult process of filter cartridge replacement requires special tools and will require the homeowner to turn off the water supply. In addition, undercounter filter systems typically require specialized cartridges which are expensive, and often only available at do-it-yourself or hardware retailers.
Unlike undercounter systems, countertop units are positioned on top of the countertop as close as possible to the sink. A countertop filter will require connection to the faucet to allow a diverter to be installed. A tube is run from the countertop filter to the diverter and must be long enough to allow the faucet to articulate and not pull the countertop filter into the sink. This attachment method can have tubes and or pipes running along the counter and can be very awkward and interfere with normal functions at the sink and faucet. Countertop filters are also often quite bulky and take up valuable counter space. Further, countertop filters can restrict access to the sink because they must be near the sink and have various plumbing attachments connecting the filter to the kitchen water supply.
Faucet mount systems which directly attach to the existing kitchen faucet seem to be the best alternative for the majority of homeowners. Faucet mount filters offer easy cartridge replacement without special tools, and provide high quality filtration performance and flow rate. Numerous faucet mount filters are available from several manufacturers and typically cost less than a countertop or undercounter filter. A faucet mount filter provides filtered water for drinking and cooking in a convenient location, right at the kitchen sink. Unfortunately, today's faucet mount filters have a significant drawback in that they block access to portions of the sink when in use. Moreover, a faucet mount filter is vulnerable to damage from interaction with pots and pans and other typical uses of the kitchen sink.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,266 to Riback teaches a faucet mounted water filter. The filter mounts to the faucet on the sink and is able to provide filtered water by means of a switch. However, the filter taught in the '266 patent mounts directly to the faucet on the sink and can block access to valuable counter space or sink space. The housing that contains the filter cartridge protrudes significantly from the faucet and can interfere with the operation of the sink. Moreover, the filter can block the faucet from rotating to its full potential, thus limiting its usefulness and frustrating the user.
A further example of the current state of the art for water filters is U.S. Pat. No. 6,123,837 to Wadsworth et al. The '837 patent also teaches a water filter designed to attach to the faucet mounted on a sink. Like the '266 patent, the '837 patent teaches a filter that provides filtered water by means of a switch. The filter is attached to the sink via the faucet and is able to either filter the water as it flows into the filter or bypass the filter cartridge and flow directly to the faucet. Again, however, the filter taught by the '837 device suffers from the same problems as does the '266 device. Namely, it mounts to the faucet and can block access to the space on the counter or sink. Further, the filter has a large, protruding housing that holds the filter cartridge. This can block the rotation of the faucet preventing a user from the full use of the faucet. Thus, the '837 filter suffers many of the drawbacks of water filters currently available to the purchasing public.
Therefore, a need exists for a water filter that does not suffer from the disadvantages of water filters according to the prior art. Indeed, a water filter is needed that provides adequate flow rate and filtration properties. Moreover, a need exists for a water filter that does not interfere with a homeowner's use of the kitchen sink. Further, a need exists for a water filter that has an easily replaceable filter and does not require the use of special tools. Further, a need exists for a water filter that can take advantage of the current structure of most sinks for attachment, without necessitating extensive modifications to the sink structure. Still further a need exists for a water filter that does not suffer the limitations of having bulky or cumbersome diverters or handles. A need also exists for a water filter that can be selectively activated and deactivated. The present invention fulfills these long-felt needs.